Lahti, Finland – The U.S. Ski Team’s Kikkan Randall inched ever closer to the FIS World Cup sprint title on Sunday, finishing fifth in a hard fought battle in the Lahti classic sprint won by Norway’s Marit Bjoergen. Emil Joensson of Sweden won the men’s race, with Aspen, Colo.’s Simi Hamilton the best American result in 11th.
Randall, of Anchorage, Alaska, won the quarterfinal heat and was second to Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk in the semifinals. She now holds a 138-point margin over Russian Natalia Matveeva, who was seventh on Sunday, with two sprints left and a total of 150 points available. She can clinch the title this Wednesday in another classic sprint in Drammen, Norway. Matveeva is the only skier still mathematically in the hunt.
On the men’s side, Andy Newell, of Shaftsbury, Vt., finished just behind Hamilton in 15th.
Following Wednesday’s sprint in Drammen, the World Cup will move on to the Holmenkollen Ski Festival in Oslo, Norway this weekend.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS Cross Country World Cup
Lahti, Finland – Mar. 4, 2012
Classic Sprint
Women:
| Rank | Bib | Name | Year | Nation |
| 1 | 1 | BJOERGEN Marit | 1980 | NOR |
| 2 | 10 | IVANOVA Julia | 1985 | RUS |
| 3 | 2 | KOWALCZYK Justyna | 1983 | POL |
| 4 | 4 | FALLA Maiken Caspersen | 1990 | NOR |
| 5 | 5 | RANDALL Kikkan | 1982 | USA |
| 6 | 11 | DOTSENKO Anastasia | 1986 | RUS |
| 7 | 3 | MATVEEVA Natalia | 1986 | RUS |
| 8 | 9 | KYLLOENEN Anne | 1987 | FIN |
| 9 | 6 | KALLA Charlotte | 1987 | SWE |
| 10 | 23 | GJEITNES Kari Vikhagen | 1985 | NOR |
Men:
| Rank | Bib | Name | Year | Nation |
| 1 | 1 | JOENSSON Emil | 1985 | SWE |
| 2 | 4 | PETERSON Teodor | 1988 | SWE |
| 3 | 26 | KRIUKOV Nikita | 1985 | RUS |
| 4 | 20 | HATTESTAD Ola Vigen | 1982 | NOR |
| 5 | 21 | JAUHOJAERVI Sami | 1981 | FIN |
| 6 | 6 | RETIVYKH Gleb | 1991 | RUS |
| 7 | 12 | PASINI Fabio | 1980 | ITA |
| 8 | 9 | MORILOV Nikolay | 1986 | RUS |
| 9 | 8 | PERSSON Simon | 1991 | SWE |
| 10 | 14 | SELLIS Siim | 1987 | EST |